Chapter 203: Watching from the Shadows, Leaving One Alive
Before dawn had even broken, Taichi was jolted awake by a surge of memories.
One of his shadow clones—assigned to monitor the Cloud nin—had dispelled itself after discovering that the enemy was already packing up camp and preparing to move.
He glanced at the time. It was barely 4 a.m.
They're diligent… or just impatient.
Without wasting a second, Taichi washed up, grabbed a quick bite, left behind three shadow clones, and vanished from the camp.
When he reappeared, he was already deep within the Land of Wind.
In the distance, the disguised "merchant caravan" had finished packing and begun moving out. Taichi followed at a safe distance, silently waiting for the right opportunity.
What struck him most, however, was their attitude.
Arrogant—blatantly so.
They moved openly across the desert, their formation loose and unguarded, as if they had no fear of being discovered. If Sunagakure were still sending out small patrol squads, this group would have been exposed long ago.
To be fair, Taichi knew this wasn't entirely their fault.
When they first entered the Land of Wind, they had been cautious, fully prepared to eliminate any scouting teams they encountered. But as time passed, they realized something strange—there were barely any small Sand squads operating outside.
Whether by luck or circumstance, they hadn't run into a single one.
Now, with their mission nearly complete, their vigilance had relaxed, turning into outright carelessness.
Taichi followed them for another full day.
And still—nothing.
Not a single encounter with Sand ninjas.
Even he began to wonder whether it was their luck… or his own misfortune.
So he waited.
And on the third evening—
Finally, something happened.
Fukuhara, a jōnin of Sunagakure, had been leading his squad back from a mission in the coastal city of Monsoon Port. They had been away for a month, and now that their task was complete, they were hurrying back to the village to join the ongoing war against Konoha.
Even from afar, he knew the situation wasn't favorable for Sunagakure.
That only made him more anxious to return and contribute.
But as they crested a tall sand dune—
They froze.
Ahead of them stood a group of nearly twenty people, with more still gathering.
Fukuhara's eyes narrowed instantly.
Every single one of them was a shinobi.
And their behavior—clearly a regrouping formation after completing separate assignments.
In the heart of the Land of Wind…? And dressed like Cloud nin?
Something was very wrong.
Worse—
The distance between them was far too close.
His three teammates turned to him, awaiting orders.
Fukuhara didn't hesitate.
"If a fight breaks out, I'll hold them here. The three of you split up and run—get back to the village and report everything!"
The moment he said it, he had already accepted death.
There were over twenty enemies.
At least two jōnin.
Even if each of them cast just one technique, it would be enough to overwhelm him.
On the other side, the Cloud nin had already noticed them.
And when they confirmed it was only a four-man Sand squad—
Cruel smiles spread across their faces.
Prey, delivered right to our doorstep.
"Troy, take a team and eliminate them. Kazuda, flank them. Don't let anyone escape."
"Yes, Lord C!" ×2
But the moment the Cloud nin moved—
Fukuhara acted.
"Retreat!"
His hands flew through seals.
Wind Release: Great Sandstorm!
A massive gale surged forward, dragging waves of sand into a blinding storm that swallowed the battlefield.
Then—
Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel!
Countless crescent-shaped wind blades tore through the storm, sweeping forward with the force to shred everything in their path.
But the Cloud nin were no pushovers.
Two massive earth walls erupted from the ground, blocking the incoming attack perfectly.
Then, splitting into two groups, they moved around the walls—one charging directly at Fukuhara, the other bypassing him entirely to chase the fleeing Sand nin.
"Damn you Cloud bastards!" Fukuhara roared. "Are you trying to start a war between Sunagakure and Kumogakure?!"
"War?" Troy laughed mockingly. "Weren't you the one who attacked first?"
Lightning orbs crackled in his hands as he hurled them one after another, disrupting Fukuhara's movements while directing his subordinates to tighten the encirclement.
In just one exchange, Fukuhara went from holding his ground—
To barely surviving.
Meanwhile, the three fleeing Sand nin were quickly caught by Kazuda's group.
Against a jōnin-led squad, they didn't stand a chance.
Within minutes—
The first fell.
Then the second.
Only one remained.
From afar, hidden and silent—
Taichi watched everything unfold through his perception.
A faint, knowing smile curved his lips.
This is it.
The moment the first Sand ninja died—
He knew his chance had arrived.
He circled around to the direction the Sand squad had come from, removed his Konoha forehead protector, and replaced it with a Sunagakure one he had prepared in advance.
By the time he looked back—
The second Sand ninja had already fallen.
Taichi began to move.
Faster.
Closer.
And then—
At the perfect moment, he burst forward and shouted:
"Stop right there, you scum of Kumogakure!"
Taichi's sudden charge was spotted instantly.
It happened at the exact moment the last Sunagakure chūnin was killed. The Cloud ninja who struck the final blow yanked his kunai out of the victim's chest, turning with a cruel grin—
Only to feel a sharp pain in his own chest.
He looked down.
A short blade had already pierced straight through him.
"How… so fast…?"
That was his final thought as his fading consciousness slipped away. The "Sand ninja" who had appeared out of nowhere had already brushed past him.
"Bastard! Get him—together!" Kazuda roared, fury erupting. They had just wiped out three enemies without losses, only to have one of their own killed in a blink.
He still hadn't realized—
This opponent was nothing like the prey they had just slaughtered.
After cutting one down, Taichi's blood was already pumping with excitement.
Facing the encircling Cloud nin, he formed hand seals mid-sprint—more for show than necessity.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
A violent gale burst from his mouth, packed with countless razor-sharp wind blades.
The two Cloud nin charging in front didn't even have time to dodge—instantly shredded, their bodies torn open in a spray of blood.
Those a step behind reacted quickly, flickering away to the sides, attempting to flank him.
Exactly as Taichi intended.
Wind chakra surged into his blade, coating it in a faint green glow.
He met them head-on.
One slash.
Another.
Within a few strikes, the approaching Cloud nin were cut down with terrifying ease.
In the blink of an eye—
Only a single jōnin remained before him.
And now, it was that Cloud jōnin's turn to panic.
He retreated rapidly toward his main group, hands flying through seals as he launched a barrage of lightning orbs to slow Taichi's advance.
But he had made a fatal miscalculation.
At close range, he might have lasted a moment longer.
But a long-distance ninjutsu exchange?
That was exactly where Taichi excelled.
Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets!
Compressed air blasts erupted from Taichi's mouth like a machine gun, endless and overwhelming.
The incoming lightning orbs were shattered instantly—erased before they could even get close.
And the remaining barrage—
Continued forward.
Kazuda's face went pale as death.
He slammed his hands together in desperation.
"Captain! Help! He's too strong!"
At the last moment, he completed his seal and struck the ground.
A crude earth wall rose up before him.
But it was obvious—
Earth Release wasn't his specialty.
And such a flimsy defense meant nothing.
Thud—thud—thud—!
The wall was riddled with holes in an instant. The jōnin behind it convulsed as dozens of air bullets tore through his body, blood pouring freely from the countless wounds.
At the same time, the Cloud squad leader had also heard Taichi's shout earlier.
Seeing only a single enemy, he hadn't taken it seriously.
But in just moments—
Kazuda's entire team, including Kazuda himself, was wiped out.
"Damn it! A real expert—everyone move! Kill this Sand ninja first!"
Without hesitation, he drew his kunai and joined the assault on Fukuhara, intending to eliminate one opponent quickly before focusing on the other.
Taichi, meanwhile, couldn't have been happier.
If they hadn't done this—
He wouldn't even know how to keep the act going.
Perfect.
Now he didn't need to hold back at all.
He sprinted forward at full speed, shouting loudly:
"Hold on, brother! I'm coming!"
Fukuhara wanted to hold on.
Seeing such a powerful "ally" arrive, he knew that if he could just endure a little longer, he might survive.
But—
There were too many enemies.
And two jōnin were attacking him together.
He simply… couldn't last.
Just as Taichi closed within ten meters—
The Cloud leader's kunai pierced straight into Fukuhara's heart.
Looking toward Taichi—who was forming seals in fury—
Fukuhara gave a bitter smile.
I… couldn't make it…
On Taichi's side, the moment the Sand jōnin fell—
His "rage" exploded.
Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!
Continuous air blades surged outward, covering a massive area and enveloping every Cloud ninja within range.
"Careful! His Wind Release is strong! Earth users—defend!"
Eight Cloud nin stepped forward, including the jōnin Troy. Together, they raised multiple earth walls.
Though not as refined as coordinated Earth Release from Iwagakure, eight overlapping walls still formed a solid defense.
The air blades slammed into them.
The first three walls collapsed instantly.
The rest were shredded piece by piece under the relentless assault—
But in the end, they held.
Then—
From both sides of the walls, seven or eight Cloud nin each rushed out, weapons drawn, led by their jōnin.
Clearly—
Compared to Taichi's ninjutsu, they preferred close combat.
Taichi didn't hesitate.
His blade flared green once more as he charged the left flank.
Two slashes—
Two Cloud nin fell.
The third strike was blocked by Troy.
Immediately, the surrounding nin closed in.
Troy's lips curled into a cruel grin, already imagining Taichi's death.
He was just about to mock him—
When Taichi suddenly inhaled deeply.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
"What?! No hand seals?!"
Troy's mind screamed in disbelief.
But there was no time to react.
At point-blank range, the gale erupted like a storm detonating in their faces.
There was no dodging it.
With a sweep of Taichi's head, the surrounding nin were blasted away, their bodies sliced open by countless wind blades.
Even the jōnin—
Was left horribly mangled, barely recognizable.
The battlefield fell into silence.
The Cloud nin froze.
They were afraid.
Out of more than twenty—
Only nine remained.
And two of those lost… were jōnin.
Was this monster even human?
Since when did Sunagakure have such a terrifying Wind Release user?
Seeing Taichi advancing step by step, the Cloud leader gritted his teeth.
"Retreat! Scatter! Regroup at Point A!"
He quickly formed seals and unleashed a net of lightning toward Taichi.
Then, without looking back, he fled at full speed.
At the same time, a signal flare shot into the sky—warning any remaining squads to withdraw immediately.
Taichi casually dispersed the lightning net with another Great Breakthrough, then gave chase for a short distance.
After cutting down a few slower stragglers—
He stopped.
Of course, he couldn't kill them all.
After all—
Someone had to go back and deliver the message to Kumogakure.